Month: February 2018

She walks off the field with her nose all runny from allergies.

Then she says it.

I’m too small.

I’m the littlest one out there.

So, later that night, when we were snuggling on her bed, I found it to be the right time to tell her something.

“You know what, Tatum? You are right you are the smallest one. I was always the smallest too. I understand. But you know what? You’re the kindest one out there too. And you know what else? You’re running your BIG heart out and your trying your best. That is what matters.”

“When I was small like that I was determined to work harder than everyone and do my best, Taties.”

I continued, “What size you are…what color you are…what you look like: All is unimportant. What is important is what is inside. ”

I gently touched her heart.

“And you know what? Your heart is HUGE and your love is HUGE. That is what I see. That is what God sees. And THAT is what makes you BIG. You are so deeply loved.”

She smiled.

“And remember as it says on your wall….: Let your light shine. You, Tatum Knight, were created for a purpose.”

Glancing at her wall, I finished, “Now, does God want you to try your best or give up and quit?”

Tatum replied, “He wants me to try my best and not give up.”

“I love you my sweet girl. You keep being you. If someone doesn’t like it or tells you differently, you walk away and find a new friend. Be the friend you want to have.”

 

We arrived at skating and Tatum was a different person. She was so funny and also so agreeable. Not challenging me in everything if you know what I mean.
When Grant showed up, she had fun with him and skated with ease. It was a sight to see. We are inspired to watch the Winter Olympics now.

It would be soccer time in a few hours.

We arrived, and she wanted to kick with me. Then, the coaches showed, and she was off.

Now, here is what I noticed. Many of the girls were caddy and rude to each other. I watched a few girls treat Tatum unkindly. They wouldn’t be her partner and she just stood there really quite unaffected but I could tell she was surprised.. She did not react badly or let it bother her. The coach merely came up and paired her with someone.

Then the lady coach approached me: “I just wanted to tell you that Tatum has improved immensely. She listens. She observes, takes her time, then executes.”

Now, mind you, the coach does not approach other parents hardly ever. I felt so special. She also said, “She’s a sweetheart; so kind to the other girls.”

She kicked it in and was told ‘good job.’

Even if she’s not playing, she’s running and doing her best.

The biggest takeaway I have of the day is Tatum seems to RISE ABOVE the girl petty stuff. She doesn’t allow the riff-raff to affect her, and she seems more mature in that way than the others. Sure she is smaller, but her personality makes up for it in spades. Kindness; even when others are not. We talk about that ALL the time. It’s how Jesus would act.

She told me on the way home, “Mommy, I’m so glad you are my mommy. You are my biggest gift.”

*Melt*

I’m so proud of her. I love you SWEET girl.

Rushing around this morning, I was a bit clumsy.

I had a meeting early, so I had to drop Tot off at school early.

So, I had her oatmeal all ready, but as I took out my oatmeal, it went all over the floor. Like I had so much time to clean it up! I was glad it wasn’t her’s. But, she protested. She helped me clean and then…..

Mommy, you can have half of mine. Sharing is caring, mommy!

Wow. Really? I told her that was ok, but she started to just spoon her oatmeal into my bowl. For Tatum, the food lover of the world, this was huge!

Thank you Tatum Tot.

I love you sweet girl. My tummy was happy because of you. My heart too.

Whether it’s eating…..

Ok, so this is my current specialty. (Scary that my specialties have been reduced to culinary delights). Oatmeal is our daily brekkie, and I love to give it pizazz. Sugar free chocolate chips surround the whipped cream cross. Would Jesus find this sacrilegious? Well, Tatum would find it delicious.

And then we make homework fun…..

Today, she got to write her numbers 1-50, so we started by making ice cream cones and then we added sprinkles.

We then counted the numbers down as we counted.  Perhaps it would have been better if we licked a real ice cream cone  as we counted?

And who could forget Coti watching!

Whatever Tatum and I do, we have fun. That is what our Terrific Tuesdays are all about.

Tatum and I spent the weekend recovering. She had been sick, and we truly did nothing all weekend to stay healthy for Monday.

She was given a new water bottle on Saturday to celebrate staying hydrated. Since it was Super Bowl Sunday, she also made sure the water went down since she was actively being a quarterback.

Well, the first thing she did when we got to school was pull out her hydration device and show it to everyone! She couldn’t wait to share it. I think it lost its novelty when no one batted an eye of excitement.

But one thing did occur that caused an eyebrow or two to be raised. When I picked her up, Ms. V mentioned that Tatum went around to all her classmates and kissed them. When asked why she did this, Tatum responded, “I just wanted to show how much I love them.” Ms. V told her that was very nice, but let’s stick to kissing our close family and pet.

Tatum is learning how to handle reactions from others whether it be about disinterest in a water bottle or an innocent kiss on the cheek. She’s navigating how to handle it when others don’t respond with the expected response. All of our hearts experience mini-heartbreaks daily since life doesn’t go the way we think it should. It’s good for her, but as her mom, it’s natural for me to want to shield her from ANY pain. That would be a big mistake. It sure is hard.

Keep being YOU Tatum. God made you YOU. I love you.

 

 

Today Tatum asked me, “Mommy, what are probiotics?”

Well……… we have a love/hate relationship with germs. We want the good guys, but we try to keep out the bad ones. Our bodies are pretty good about flushing out those nasty critters and fighting them away. But, sometimes we need help. Enter in, probiotics: a pill we can pop. Wish it was that easy all time, eh?

The bigger picture for her and me is that we have gook in our lives. You see, we need all the help we can get in keeping it out. Jesus is our probiotic. He can be true. He fights off those nasty buggers that live inside of us and want to spew out. He also keeps in the good guys that fight off our infirmities which we all live with (sin).

When we got home, I turned on a new song that I’ve been signing constantly. It’s by Toby Mac called I Just Need You. My toes can’t help but tap! It wasn’t but a second before we both got up moving and grooving.

Dancing is sure another antidote to those buggy germy germs. We don’t want you, so we’re dancing you out!

Thank you, Jesus for being with us at all times and helping us fight the good fight!